Andiamo! Citalia Magazine Winter 2023

Venture into rural Puglia and you’ll stumble across a marvel
of whitewashed dry stone dwellings with curiously conical
slab roofs. You’ve found the trulli.
As their white walls sparkle against the
blue sky, trulli have become an attractive
backdrop for that quintessential Italian
Instagrammable moment.
Trulli - or trullo when you’re talking about
just one dwelling - were initially built
to provide temporary field shelters and
storehouses. Over time they also became
permanent dwellings for agricultural
families and labourers of smallholdings.
The simple traditional lime
whitewash that decorates the
trulli’s exterior complements
the local geology and
pastoral landscapes.
To protect against the elements and balance the temperature all year
round, the trulli walls are incredibly thick, made up of a double skin
filled with rubble. Similarly the doorways and windows are small.
These iconic rural dwellings began appearing as early as the 14th
century, and their popularity originated because of a 15th century
decree that made urban settlers pay taxes to the crown under feudal
rule. If the king’s inspectors came collecting, the villagers could easily
demolish these inexpensive buildings into a pile of stones and hide in
the forest, and then rebuild them once they’d gone.
However it was in the mid-18th and 19th century, brought on by
an emerging winemaking scene, when many of these structures
first appeared in the little town of Alberobello.
These circular living spaces come with alcoves for storing things,
and an internal fireplace. The unusual conical roofs are built
from a layering of limestone slabs called chianche that sit directly
atop the walls, and taper to a point or sphere called a pinnacolo.
These pinnacles are not only hand-carved, but selected for their
spiritual or proprietary symbolism, and some roofs also have
esoteric markings.
You’ll find the distinctive cone-shaped trulli all across the sunkissed
Itria Valley, but the best-preserved examples remain in
Alberobello, which boasts over 1,5000 trulli and dominates
three-quarters of the quaint town’s architecture, of which 30%
are used solely for residential use.
Today, trulli are on the UNESCO World Heritage
list and protected - they cannot be modified
without a trullaro, a master craftsman.
Truly Trulli
Head to the neighbourhoods of Monti and Aja Piccola in
Alberobello for the largest concentration of authentic trullis.
Don’t miss these exemplary trulli, some of which have been
declared national monuments!
• Trullo Sovrano, a rare two-storey trullo with a backyard
• Casa d’Amore, today the town’s tourist information centre
• Museo Storico, a local heritage museum
• Rione Aia Piccola, a pretty collection of trulli
• Parrocchia Sant'Antonio di Padova, the only trulli church of its kind
• Trulli Gemelli, two conjoined twin trulli
• Trulli Soave, where you can enjoy a stay in one of five trullo!
A 3 night holiday in Puglia, staying at Trulli Soave, starts from £669 per person.
Speak to one of our Personal Travel Planners on 01293 765061
Winter 2022/23
Andiamo!